My grandfather sitting in the middle during his years as an Army Major, 1993
Family History Project: Sarah Ohm September 4th, 2012
Introduction
Grandfather with former President Kim, Young-Sam
To start this project, I began to think of my grandfather.There are many other reasons why my grandfather became the subject. First, he has allowed me to cultivate my dreams of becoming a soldier. Second, to me, something or someone is interesting in history when he or she accomplishes or achieves a "first". In my grandfather's 40-year career in the military, he had many "firsts", but I will focus on just one of those events: the first female soldier combat training. While many of us are proud of our own grandfathers, I am especially proud of him because he had paved the way for women in today's society.
Profile
My grandfather as Lieutenant General
Name: Lee Kyu-Hwan Born: November 17, 1941
Significant dates in the military career(Timeline):
1960
Enter the Korean Military Academy
1964
Graduate from the Korean Military Academy
1965
Commissioned officer
1968
Hold/supervise the first female airborne troop combat training
1987
Brigadier General (1 star)
1990
Major General (2 stars)
Division commander (moral education)
1994
Lieutenant General (3 stars)
April: presidential hazing
November: launch Army Winter Corps Training
1997
Retire from military service
1999
Head of Korea Institute for Military Affairs
First Female Special Forces Unit Training
Days as a division commander
In the late 1960s, female soldiers were discriminated against numbers of people who thoght that women could not keep our country safe from any harms, which could be caused by North Korea at any time. My grandfather, Kyu-Hwan Lee, was different. At the time, he was a special forces instructor, training men in case of combat when North Korea attacked. Until 1968, he had not trained any women,nor were there any female soldiers in the special forces. However, he respected and admired soldiers, men and women, for their dedication to our country and their courage. Accordingly, he trained the first female airborne troop, about 20 women.
Interview
The interview was conducted on September 1, 2012. I called my grandfather to get a better sense of what happened in 1968, during the first female soldier combat training.
Q: Where was the first female soldier combat training held back in 1968? A: Gyeonggi-do Ilsan.
Q: Were female soldiers treated the same as male soldiers? A: Yes, especially during training, I made sure they were treated equally. I instructed the females very strictly.
Q: Why were the female soldiers trained the same as the male soldiers? Did you "go easy" on them at all? A: To show people that females could also be in combat like the males. Most of the women in the training camp held first-degree black belts in taekwondo. I didn't let them go "easy" just because they were women. I wanted them to know that they were just as capable as men in the military.
Q: The female soldiers, why did they "sign-up" for the training? A: They wanted to prove to everyone and to themselves that women were not necessarily the "weaker" of the sexes, that they could also be just as brave and physically strong as the men. Traditionally, most of the women in military held administrative or other non-physical positions. We wanted the women to be awakened by the experience - that female soldiers were no longer to be considered weak.
Q: What were the difficulties? A: The female trainees were different from the male soldiers (that I was used to training). They cried a lot because it was tough for them. It was hard for me to attend to them throughout the entire training and make sure they graduate. They realized that I don't sexually discriminate, which meant I also don't accommodate for them. That was the difficult part - making the women feel like they were not discriminated against, but training them just like I trained the men.
Q: How did you overcome the difficulty? A: I told the female soldiers that they should never quit in the middle of training. I reminded them that they were setting a new path for women in the military, that their every move, every action would later be recounted as precedent for many to follow. Once they realized their responsibility, it was not so easy for them to quit. I never stopped encouraging them on their pioneering the way for females in the future.
Interpretation & Analysis
Saluting before a speech
The 1960s were an interesting and thunderous time. There were many wars going around the globe, for examples, the Cold War and the Vietnam War. [1] In Korea, too, the 60s made many changes in the country. Under a new political regime after the Korean War (1950-3), South Korea was starting over, trying to stabilize, grow, and innovate into the future.[2] It could be argued that women everywhere during the 60s were finding ways to let their voices be heard and be considered equal to men.[3][4] Therefore, it is not surprising that by 1968, women in military also begin asking for their rights to be trained just like men. Perhaps it was natural for the first female special forces unit was formed and trained in 1968 under my grandfather.
However, changes in history don't happen without some significant force. No matter what social trends and movements were stirring up in the 1960s, those at the forefront of action had to be brave. With so much responsibility placed on women to be domestic, I can't imagine people being happy to hear any female wanting to become a soldier. Thus, it must have taken the women who joined the special forces back in the 1960s a lot of courage. In this, my grandfather must have had a heavy burden on his shoulders training the females for the first time. He would have had to make sure they all completed the training, and graduate with the same quality of expertise as the men he trained, so the society doesn't look down upon the female soldiers in any way. As he explained in his interview, he had to be very strict, follow by all of the military rules, yet very encouraging and tactful to produce excellent examples for females in military. It is and was extraordinarily tough for women to gain recognition in the military, given the rigidity of its structure. Facilitating the new situation must have been tremendous work both for the women who trained and my grandfather training them.
Significance
My uncle with the current President, following grandfather's footsteps, serving the military
My mother told me that my grandfather was an extremely strict and intimidating commander as a soldier. However, outside of the special force, he was a compassionate, tenderhearted, and caring person. For example, he always wrote me a birthday card! I wouldn't have guessed him as such a tigerish person in the military. It seemed like it is this difference that enabled my grandfather to train the female soldiers successfully. If he had been too cruel and grueling, the female soldiers might not have succeeded in their first ever special force combat training. Fortunately, after the first training, there began to be more brave women of Korea willing to protect their country. The probability of women nowadays could be a lot less if my grandfather's training didn't go as it did. If he was an inattentive instructor and did not even care about the female soldiers, who knows what women's role in the military might look like today? There are many successful women in the military in Korea today. There are even women who have earned stars (military ranking of general or above)[5] in the military. As of 2011, there were nearly 7,000 female soldierswith hopes to make the presence of women even stronger going forward.
On a more family note, my uncle has decided to follow his father's footsteps, serving the military. He has been dedicating his life for the security of our nation. I am proud of my grandfather and my uncle for keeping us all far from harm's way. For those people who don't have soldiers in the family, it could be difficult to appreciate their hard work. However, in my family, their work is not forgotten.
Furthermore, my grandfather has allowed me to dream of becoming a female soldier one day. I haven't had a strong urge to follow any one path of career, but I know with the military, I could be proud and would be rewarded for my service. I know it would be hard work, but knowing that my grandfather has paved the way for girls like me to have a shot at becoming a soldier makes me even more motivated to pursue my dream.
Table of Contents
Family History Project: Sarah Ohm
September 4th, 2012
Introduction
To start this project, I began to think of my grandfather.There are many other reasons why my grandfather became the subject. First, he has allowed me to cultivate my dreams of becoming a soldier. Second, to me, something or someone is interesting in history when he or she accomplishes or achieves a "first". In my grandfather's 40-year career in the military, he had many "firsts", but I will focus on just one of those events: the first female soldier combat training. While many of us are proud of our own grandfathers, I am especially proud of him because he had paved the way for women in today's society.
Profile
Name: Lee Kyu-Hwan
Born: November 17, 1941
Significant dates in the military career(Timeline):
First Female Special Forces Unit Training
In the late 1960s, female soldiers were discriminated against numbers of people who thoght that women could not keep our country safe from any harms, which could be caused by North Korea at any time. My grandfather, Kyu-Hwan Lee, was different. At the time, he was a special forces instructor, training men in case of combat when North Korea attacked. Until 1968, he had not trained any women,nor were there any female soldiers in the special forces. However, he respected and admired soldiers, men and women, for their dedication to our country and their courage. Accordingly, he trained the first female airborne troop, about 20 women.
Interview
The interview was conducted on September 1, 2012. I called my grandfather to get a better sense of what happened in 1968, during the first female soldier combat training.Q: Where was the first female soldier combat training held back in 1968?
A: Gyeonggi-do Ilsan.
Q: Were female soldiers treated the same as male soldiers?
A: Yes, especially during training, I made sure they were treated equally. I instructed the females very strictly.
Q: Why were the female soldiers trained the same as the male soldiers? Did you "go easy" on them at all?
A: To show people that females could also be in combat like the males. Most of the women in the training camp held first-degree black belts in taekwondo. I didn't let them go "easy" just because they were women. I wanted them to know that they were just as capable as men in the military.
Q: The female soldiers, why did they "sign-up" for the training?
A: They wanted to prove to everyone and to themselves that women were not necessarily the "weaker" of the sexes, that they could also be just as brave and physically strong as the men. Traditionally, most of the women in military held administrative or other non-physical positions. We wanted the women to be awakened by the experience - that female soldiers were no longer to be considered weak.
Q: What were the difficulties?
A: The female trainees were different from the male soldiers (that I was used to training). They cried a lot because it was tough for them. It was hard for me to attend to them throughout the entire training and make sure they graduate. They realized that I don't sexually discriminate, which meant I also don't accommodate for them. That was the difficult part - making the women feel like they were not discriminated against, but training them just like I trained the men.
Q: How did you overcome the difficulty?
A: I told the female soldiers that they should never quit in the middle of training. I reminded them that they were setting a new path for women in the military, that their every move, every action would later be recounted as precedent for many to follow. Once they realized their responsibility, it was not so easy for them to quit. I never stopped encouraging them on their pioneering the way for females in the future.
Interpretation & Analysis
The 1960s were an interesting and thunderous time. There were many wars going around the globe, for examples, the Cold War and the Vietnam War. [1] In Korea, too, the 60s made many changes in the country. Under a new political regime after the Korean War (1950-3), South Korea was starting over, trying to stabilize, grow, and innovate into the future.[2] It could be argued that women everywhere during the 60s were finding ways to let their voices be heard and be considered equal to men.[3] [4] Therefore, it is not surprising that by 1968, women in military also begin asking for their rights to be trained just like men. Perhaps it was natural for the first female special forces unit was formed and trained in 1968 under my grandfather.
However, changes in history don't happen without some significant force. No matter what social trends and movements were stirring up in the 1960s, those at the forefront of action had to be brave. With so much responsibility placed on women to be domestic, I can't imagine people being happy to hear any female wanting to become a soldier. Thus, it must have taken the women who joined the special forces back in the 1960s a lot of courage. In this, my grandfather must have had a heavy burden on his shoulders training the females for the first time. He would have had to make sure they all completed the training, and graduate with the same quality of expertise as the men he trained, so the society doesn't look down upon the female soldiers in any way. As he explained in his interview, he had to be very strict, follow by all of the military rules, yet very encouraging and tactful to produce excellent examples for females in military. It is and was extraordinarily tough for women to gain recognition in the military, given the rigidity of its structure. Facilitating the new situation must have been tremendous work both for the women who trained and my grandfather training them.
Significance
My mother told me that my grandfather was an extremely strict and intimidating commander as a soldier. However, outside of the special force, he was a compassionate, tenderhearted, and caring person. For example, he always wrote me a birthday card! I wouldn't have guessed him as such a tigerish person in the military. It seemed like it is this difference that enabled my grandfather to train the female soldiers successfully. If he had been too cruel and grueling, the female soldiers might not have succeeded in their first ever special force combat training. Fortunately, after the first training, there began to be more brave women of Korea willing to protect their country. The probability of women nowadays could be a lot less if my grandfather's training didn't go as it did. If he was an inattentive instructor and did not even care about the female soldiers, who knows what women's role in the military might look like today?
There are many successful women in the military in Korea today. There are even women who have earned stars (military ranking of general or above)[5] in the military. As of 2011, there were nearly 7,000 female soldierswith hopes to make the presence of women even stronger going forward.
On a more family note, my uncle has decided to follow his father's footsteps, serving the military. He has been dedicating his life for the security of our nation. I am proud of my grandfather and my uncle for keeping us all far from harm's way. For those people who don't have soldiers in the family, it could be difficult to appreciate their hard work. However, in my family, their work is not forgotten.
Furthermore, my grandfather has allowed me to dream of becoming a female soldier one day. I haven't had a strong urge to follow any one path of career, but I know with the military, I could be proud and would be rewarded for my service. I know it would be hard work, but knowing that my grandfather has paved the way for girls like me to have a shot at becoming a soldier makes me even more motivated to pursue my dream.
Sources
Primary Sources
Picture 1Picture 2
Picture 3
Picture 4
Picture 5
Picture 6
Interview
Secondary Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960shttp://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Korea.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminism
http://eng.buddhapia.com/_Service/_ContentView/ETC_CONTENT_2.ASP?PK=0000593957&danrak_no=&clss_cd=&top_menu_cd=0000000808
http://bemil.chosun.com/nbrd/bbs/view.html?b_bbs_id=10044&num=161763
http://news.hankooki.com/lpage/politics/200809/h2008093003280991040.htm
http://blog.daum.net/dapapr/7673407
http://www.yonhapnews.co.kr/politics/2011/09/05/0521000000AKR20110905165900043.HTML
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_rank
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960s
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_rank